Unravelling the Whitworth

There was a one day (10-4) session for members of U3A today at the Whitworth Art Gallery. .  It was excellent.  Members came from as far afield as Hertford and Glasgow.  The day was divided into three sections.  In small groups, we first were taken on a tour of the current textile Exhibitions. The curator gave us insights into the Four Corners of One Cloth (Islamic textiles) and the work of Alice Kettle. After lunch our group went to the Studio for some, "hands on", etching and print making, which was fascinating. Here is my effort based on art at the Whitworth:-

Finally we were taken to the Collection room, where a number of amazing textiles from throughout the ages and throughout the world were made available for our inspection.  The curator of this section spoke vividly about the collection and the history and techniques of the textiles.  Here is an Italian, hand-knitted, silk jacket dated 1600-1639. It is an amazing piece of work:-